I'm thinking seriously about moving from one edc bag to two. The reason is that I'm carrying things like water, evaporative cooling towels, and some of my wife's junk more often....and it's just too much weight for a shoulder bag on my bad back (old injury, acts up sometimes). I'd just switch to a backpack....except that I kind of hate having things in my pocket, and waist or shoulder bags work better as pocket replacements. I'm thinking about moving a lot of the more situational stuff into a small-ish backpack (water, towel, fak, laptop, etc.) and having it move with me between cars and buildings but not necessarily rooms. Then, downsizing my bag a bit, which would basically just be pocket things plus some extra space that would pretty much always stay with me like my bag does now. Thoughts?
Not out of reason since mobility and physical restrictions seem to dictate you need two it seems. With that I would find a system were the two work together so you can clip on to another, etc. for leaving the house or moving between vehicles you are less likely to leave one behind. EDIT: This is the type of functionality I meant, at 1:20 is the main aspect I was talking about.
I would think a back pack would be better for load transfer. I have many packs and sometimes a sea to summit pack inside a pack.. or rolled up in a rei flash 22 pack. Inside a zip lock....... sorta not joking.
Two bags would definitely help you carry more stuff, however I would be apprehensive because it may be a burden to carry two bags! I would find myself forgetting to bring a bag or griping about carry the second bag. That is just me though...To each their own, and if it works for you do it!
I have two bags. I have one for EDC, and one for school. I will transfer stuff between the two bags depending on what I am needing. Both are in my vehicle wherever I go. It works for me. After school is over, I will be going back to just one bag. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.
That's a really cool idea. But, I'm not sure I want it for this idea. I really don't like having things in my pockets. I've consigned myself to having a couple things. But, that's at the absolute limit. I still need to get to a few things quickly, like in under a second, which means shoulder bag. If the backpack is slim, I can just wear both for the walk to the car or carry it if it's short enough. And it's not that much stuff. L0 (on body): Ccw (holster) Mag (holster) Knife (RF clip) Light (RF) Burt's Bees (RF) Tiny bit of cash (RR) L1 (shoulder bag): Phone/phablet Wallet Coin purse Keys Knife 2 Light 2 Vape mod Hand sanitizer Cash Allergy/headache meds Maybe a tablet Maybe a very small trauma kit Enough space for small things I might pick up L2 (backpack): IFAK USB Power Evaporative cooling towel or 2 HydroFlask or 2 Vape juice Poncho Laptop w/ power Some other electronics Some food Probably a few other things
I'm inclined to agree with patientcero maybe look at a pouch for your L1 that can clip onto your L2, but once you're at your main destination drop L2 and just carry 1?
Ok....so, it looks like I'm not super crazy. What's happening now is that I leave a lot of things at home....mostly the USB power and the heavy water and towels. Even if I intend to just carry them to the car, they wind up sitting in the kitchen all day.
If it works for you then how is it crazy? On the other hand what do Bags have to do with being crazy? You carry actual "Heavy Water"? I have 2 trucks and recently got an additional Tiny Car and it is handy but I am in much the same boat as you describe with it too. I have been "Staging" gear in bags for easy portability between vehicles just like you suggest and so far it is working great and I have a better idea where my things are too,especially the stuff I ALWAYS need and come often not remember to bring? So I vote for your Modular Approach for sure......Crazy likes Company!
How about a vanquest strident back pack?you can sling it around to your front and access most of the compartments. Check some videos.
I think the above idea of having a backpack with an attachment system for another bag / large pouch is a good one, so you can carry all your items when needed. Kifaru has the E&E which is a small pouch with shoulder straps (~1,000 cu. in.) that attaches to a lot of their larger pack offerings. Tom Bihn has some pouches ("modular pockets") that clip to the outside of their Smart Alec backpack. Or you can go the MOLLE/PALS route, but that adds some overall weight to a pack. One thing holding me back from the two-bag setup, where one bag gets left behind and/or in a vehicle, is that you are going to have electronics and a laptop in there. Just depends on your area -- thefts, hot or cold weather extremes, etc. What about mixing things up a bit? Consolidate items into the backpack, and place the non-essential, non-valuable items into a small duffel bag to stash in the vehicle?
Modularity = Flexibility. The best EDC setup may exist in the realm occupied by 2, 3 or even 4 different bags.
I'm in the same situation! I used to carry a messenger bag but it was too much weight on one shoulder, so I switched to a backpack... now my shoulders feel great but I hate taking off the backpack to get at my wallet and other small items. A small shoulder bag for frequently used items and a backpack for heavy, infrequently used items seems like the best option. I have been using a small Fossil city bag (about 10" x 10") paired with a Timbuk2 backpack and it works pretty well - wallet, keys, phone in the Fossil, then heavy books, water bottle,etc. in the Timbuk2. The Timbuk2 also sits high enough on my back so the two don't bump into eachother... (though admittedly I look like a dork or a tourist wearing two bags).
I tend to carry a large backpack for "adventures" (lifeguarding, kayaking, going to the beach). Inside that bag is either a lunch bag, small drawstring backpack, or roll top drybag that I can load a few essentials in and then leave the big bag behind in my car or at a friend's place. Many times the big bag is just too big and you don't need all that stuff with you, but you will need it when you get back to your starting point. I also have a medium sized backpack for when I'm working my school job or for when I just don't need as many things with me.
Well, today the 2 bag thing failed me. Super hot, felt a lot worse than the 91 degrees it was...water and evap towels in the car, which has an air conditioner. I think the problem is that water is just so heavy. I really don't know what to do about it. I hate backpacks so much. But, the shoulder bags are just too painful to carry water at this point.
deathcaps, is your bag the small e/w messenger by any chance? I have the twice-as-wide version and almost really like it. It's a bit big for me, and there isnt quite enough structure...the top of the main compartment kind of rolls over and makes the closure unusable. I've been curious about the smaller one, but I've only seen the 10x13" version...which just seems a bit awkward.
What shoulder bag are you using? I know most of the larger maxpeds have waist straps as well that distribute the weight. A mongo or kodiak is a good size and I don't really feel the full water bottle
The favorite bag shown briefly on page 1. No matter what I do, I keep coming back to it. I've got 3 or 4 right now that have to go back to amazon because they're just not better. Waist straps defeat the purpose of the shoulder bag for me, making it enough harder to get into the bag that they're not better than backpacks. Also, I've never actually noticed that they help with weight, probably due to my particular back injury.